By Staff Writer (media@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Aug 26, 2014 09:34 AM EDT

Earlier this month, an online article alleged that former NBA superstar Allen Iverson was found begging for change outside a mall in Atlanta. Now, it's revealed that the story was a fake after all.

In a report by the International Business Times, the fake story originated from satirical website The News Nerd. The article stated, "Troubled former NBA basketball player Allen Iverson was seen begging for change outside of Lenox Mall in Atlanta. Several mall patrons reported a man with a disheveled appearance harassing them for change." It continued, "When security arrived, they were shocked to see it was none other than basketball legend Allen Iverson. Iverson was asked to leave the premises by mall security."

Jason Seaworth, the mall security personnel who showed Iverson the exit, did not truly have the encounter. He allegedly said, "One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was asking my hero to leave the mall. It was very sad to see him in such a bad place. I really hope he gets his life together and somehow returns to prominence."

However, it seems no one took the time to check the site's credibility, after all The News Nerd did indicate, "The stories posted on TheNewsNerd are for entertainment purposes only. The stories may mimic articles found in the headlines, but rest assured they are purely satirical."

According to The Epoch Times, Twitter users did not see the disclaimer by the satirical website and immediately believed the story and shared it with other contacts via social media. Others even commented on the site how much they pitied Iverson and hoped that his former NBA team would help him out.

Another proof that the story is fake was a photo of Iverson and an Instagram user, which circulated after the user stated that she did not know who Iverson was before someone informed her that he was a famous basketball star. The picture showed Iverson at a club, looking a lot better than a mall beggar. He had a few gold chains around his neck in the photo. The Instagram user wrote, "They told me he was famous, but idk who tf he is." The user has since locked her profile, but a Twitter user was able to post it.  

In an article by Yahoo! News, although the recent rumor was found out to be fake, it is a fact that Allen Iverson experienced major financial difficulties a few years ago, as well as a terrible divorce. He earned over $154 million while playing 14 NBA seasons and endorsing various products, but is still having it hard nowadays. While he will get several millions from Reebok, he can only claim it when he is 50 years old.

© 2015 Latinos Post. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.